The blockade of Iranian warships in Iran is just an example of “honorable” behavior during the ceasefire and the US military is ready to strike Iran’s nuclear and power plants if ordered, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday.
Standing alongside two US military officials, Hegseth said Iran needs to make smart choices as it prepares for talks with the United States.
“We’re reloading with more power than ever, and with better intelligence,” Hegseth said at a Pentagon news conference. “We’re locked out and burdened by your critical dual-use infrastructure, your remaining electricity generation, and your energy industry. We’d rather not have to.”
The administration of US President Donald Trump expressed hope on Wednesday about reaching an agreement to end the war on Iran, while also warning of increased economic pressure against Iran if it remains defiant.
That includes the blockade of Iran that went into effect on Monday, when the US military forced 14 ships to turn away. A large number of US warships and aircraft, including about 10,000 troops, enforced the blockade.
Trump hopes the effort will force Iran to accept US terms for ending the war, presented by the US and Israel on February 28, including opening the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas exports normally pass. Trump said that was also a condition of the ceasefire as it will expire next week.
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The war caused the biggest disruption in the world’s oil and gas industry.
Analysts say Iran could withstand a complete freeze on oil exports for at least two months before being forced to cut production.
Hegseth, in comments directed at the Iranian leadership, said the blockade is “the most polite way this can go.”
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Admiral Brad Cooper, head of the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said the military is preparing tactics, strategies and procedures, but did not provide details.
During the same briefing, General Dan Caine, the chairman of the US military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, added that the US military is “ready to restart a major war at a moment’s notice.”
US Navy ships will go after any Iranian-flagged ship or any ship trying to support Iran, Caine said at the briefing. He added that it is possible not only in the region, but also in the Indo-Pacific.
Ships trying to circumvent the embargo will be blocked and warned that “if you don’t comply with this embargo, we will use force,” and enforcement will take place inside Iranian waters and in international waters, Caine said.
No ships have boarded so far, Caine said.
The U.S. Navy has expanded its blockade to include goods deemed illegal, and any ships suspected of trying to reach Iranian territory “will be subject to adversarial rights of visit and search,” the U.S. Navy said in an advisory Thursday.
“These vessels, regardless of their location, can be visited, boarded, searched and seized,” the navy said in an advisory.
Listed illegal items include weapons, weapons systems, ammunition, nuclear materials, crude and refined oil products and iron, steel and aluminum.
Sources briefed by Tehran told Reuters that Iran could allow ships to sail freely on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz without risk of attack under proposals it has offered in talks with the US, as long as a deal is struck to prevent renewed conflict.
